3rd Public Beta of iOS 12 and tvOS 12 released featuring Group FaceTime multiplayer AR and More

The releases come a day after Apple released the third beta of Mojave 10.14

The past two days have seen a series of new software releases from Apple. Today, Apple released the third public beta of iOS 12 and tvOS 12 on the Apple Beta Software Program. The public beta 3 of MacOS Mojave 10.14 was also released yesterday.

These public beta releases are based on the developer beta 4 released earlier for users enrolled in Apple’s developer programme. The new beta of iOS 12 comes with more animated Activity app stickers in Messages, more Memoji customizations and other bug fixes and improvements.

The public beta can be used by people enrolled in the beta software programme. The program is for users who aren’t active developers but are still interested in testing the latest features from Apple. The public betas are available for free, and you can enroll for the public beta program at beta.apple.com.

Apple’s developer program costs $99 per year and includes watchOS betas for Apple Watch. It gives you access to more experimental betas before they are released to the public.

New Features in iOS 12 and tvOS 12

iOS 12 brings Group FaceTime, local shared multiplayer AR experiences, and further customizations in Animoji and Memoji. There’s also a new ScreenTime app focused on digital health and tracks the time spent on your apps. The new Do Not Disturb mode handles notifications differently, with interactive notifications and smarter grouping. Siri has also been updated to give smarter suggestions and implement app shortcuts. There are also multiple speed and efficiency improvements coming with iOS 12.

iOS 12 Features, Source: The Verge

As for tvOS 12, the new OS introduces much-awaited support for Dolby Atmos. It also introduces auto filling passwords from your iPhone for apps (like Netflix or Prime Video) supported by Apple TV. tvOS 12 also introduces support for home control services like Savant and Creston. There are also new aerial screensavers on the Apple TV created with the help of International Space Station.

How to Try The Public Beta 3 for iOS and tvOS

In order to try the new public beta for iOS 12, users can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website. Once you sign up, you can navigate to beta.apple.com/profile from your iOS device, and download the required certificates. The beta will then be available in Settings>General>Software Updates.

It is a good idea to make sure your iTunes and iCloud are fully backed up. Also, the new betas are expected to be full of bugs. Hence, it might not be the best idea to install the beta on your primary website.

In order to get the tvOS 12 beta updates, you will have to navigate to System>Software Updates and toggle ‘Get Public Beta Updates’ to ON. Once you do that, the Apple TV will download and install the public beta update.

Nishant is a tech-enthusiast, and keeps experimenting with new apps and tweaks on his Chromebook and Android smartphone. Innovative user-experience developments fascinate him. Apart from keeping a keen eye out for updates in the tech industry, Nishant is interested in Philosophy and Creative Writing.